International Drivers Permit which is legal in a great deal of the world as a VALID licence for..eg..France and the Netherlands and that prevents insurance companies from using the - not valid licence - as a loophole for not paying a claim.
The IDP is used when required as a translation of your driving license. It is in no way a valid license in itself.
I would like to know who are the "some insurance companies" that have refused to pay a claim in SXM because of a lack of an IDP.
Also from the Netherlands forum:
Some EU countries specifically Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain require you to carry what is known as an IDP along with the US (or non-EU countries') driver's license. This may not be enforced very strictly though but it is a legal requirement.
If anyone feels the need to add $20 plus the cost of two passport pics to there trip every year then so be it..